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Star Citizen Beginner Guide: The 'Verse' | Section 2

Your first spawn in Star Citizen is not about rushing into space. It is about learning the tools you'll use every session: Hangar Storage, Mobiglas, Contracts, Fleet Manager, Vehicle Loadout Manager, And Third-person Camera.

Star Citizen Beginner Guide: The 'Verse' | Section 2

Get this loop right early: Check Gear → Open Mobiglas → Review Contracts → Confirm Loadout → Deliver Ship → Retrieve Ship → Launch.

1. Spawning in Your Hangar

You usually spawn inside your personal hangar at your home location. This is your first base of operations.

Hangar Essentials

FeatureUseVeteran Tip
Main Hangar Floor Ship spawn area Your retrieved ship appears here
Storage Access Local inventory Check gear before calling your ship
Hangar Services / Fleet Kiosk Ship management Deliver, retrieve, or claim ships
Freight Elevator Cargo handling Important for hauling and physical cargo
Inactive Areas Future features Ignore for now

Your Hangar View

Global Chat Controls

KeyFunction
Enter Open / close chat input
F12 Hide / show chat
Channel Selector Switch global, party, or other channels

Use global chat for quick help or server issues. Hide it with F12 when it turns into noise.

Global Chat

Rule: Check storage before retrieving your ship. Most new players waste time spawning a ship, then realizing their armor, ammo, or supplies are still in local inventory.

2. MobiGlas 101

MobiGlas is your main operating system. If you do not understand it, Star Citizen feels ten times harder.

KeyAction
F1 Open MobiGlas
F2 Often opens map / navigation functions
Esc Back out or close menu

MobiGlas Apps That Matter

AppUsePriority
Home Location, credits, environment, status High
Contracts Mission board Critical
Maps Route planning Critical
Comms Chat, friends, party invites Medium
Health Oxygen, temperature, injuries, drug level Medium
Reputation Tracks faction/company standing High
Wallet Send credits to players Medium
Vehicle Services Refuel, repair, restock Critical
Vehicle Loadout Manager Edit ship parts and modules High
Journal Basic info Low
Assets Item tracking Often unreliable

Star Citizen Home Screenshot

Health Screenshot

Comms Screenshot

Focus on Contracts, Maps, Vehicle Services, and Vehicle Loadout Manager first.

3. Home Screen: What to Check

The MobiGlas Home screen tells you if your current environment is safe.

DataMeaningWhy You Care
Location Current city, planet, or station Confirms where you are
aUEC Your credits Gear, repairs, fuel
CrimeStat Legal status High CrimeStat can mean prison
Gravity Local gravity Affects movement/falls
Atmosphere Breathable or unsafe Helmet decision
Temperature Heat/cold risk Can injure you
Oxygen Breathing status Critical outside safe zones
Drug Level Medication level Relevant after healing

Hard rule: if you leave a safe interior, wear a helmet. Many beginners die because they took it off in a city and forgot.

4. Contracts: Best First Money

Contracts are the cleanest beginner path for credits and reputation.

Beginner Contract Ranking

Contract TypeBeginner RatingTake It When
Courier / Delivery Best First missions, learning routes
Mercenary Good You have armor, gun, ammo, meds
Bounty Hunting Medium You can fly and fight
Investigation Medium You understand markers and search zones
Hauling Medium You understand cargo basics
Hand Mining Niche You want quiet surface work
Salvage Ship-dependent You own a salvage ship
Collection Later You know the system better

Start with Courier / Delivery. It teaches elevators, landing, routing, pickups, and drop-offs without requiring combat.

Contract Flow

StepAction
1 Open MobiGlas
2 Go to Contracts
3 Pick a low-risk mission
4 Accept and track it
5 Use Maps for route
6 Complete objective
7 Get paid and build reputation

If a contract marker bugs out, abandon it. Do not waste 30 minutes fighting alpha jank.

5. Reputation & Wallet

Reputation is long-term progression. Better rep usually means better contracts and higher payouts.

ActionResult
Complete contracts Reputation increases
Repeat work for one faction Better jobs unlock
Commit crimes Legal trouble / prison risk
Fail missions Slower progression

Wallet lets you send aUEC to other players. Use it to split payouts, pay rescue pilots, or fund group repairs.

6. Fleet Manager

Fleet Manager is where you make ships available and spawn them.

Fleet Manager Screenshot

Fleet Manager vs Loadout Manager

SystemJob
Fleet Manager Deliver, retrieve, claim, spawn ships
Vehicle Loadout Manager Change weapons, components, paints, modules

Vechicle Loadout Manager

Ship Status Terms

StatusMeaningAction
Deliverable Can be brought here Click Deliver
Stored Already at this location Retrieve
Retrieved Spawned in hangar/pad Board it
Claim Required Lost/destroyed/unavailable File claim
Not Local / Locked Not stored here Deliver or claim if available

Clean Ship Retrieval Flow

StepAction
1 Check Storage Access
2 Open Vehicle Loadout Manager
3 Save any loadout changes
4 Open Fleet Manager
5 Deliver ship
6 Retrieve ship
7 Board and launch

Retrieve last. That saves time and avoids backtracking.

7. Vehicle Loadout Manager

Use this to edit ship equipment before launch.

CategoryExamplesPriority
Modules Cargo/utility modules High for modular ships
Components Shields, quantum drive, power plant, coolers High
Weapons Ship guns High for combat
Propulsion Travel/jump systems Medium
Avionics Radar systems Medium
Liveries Paints Cosmetic

Always hit Save Changes after editing. Pending changes do nothing until saved.

Early Upgrade Priority

PriorityUpgradeWhy
1 Quantum Drive Faster, less painful travel
2 Shields More survival margin
3 Weapons Better bounty/combat performance
4 Power/Coolers Supports heavier builds
5 Paint Looks nice, no combat value

For your first session, do not obsess over meta builds. Learn takeoff, landing, routing, and refuel/repair first.

8. Local Inventory

Star Citizen uses location-based inventory. Gear stored at Area18 is not available at New Babbage unless you physically move it.

Inventory TypeMeaning
Local Inventory Stored at current city/station
Personal Inventory Carried on your body
Ship Inventory Stored in ship
Cargo Grid Physical cargo boxes secured in ship

What to Carry

ActivityBring
Basic travel Undersuit, helmet
Delivery Helmet, undersuit, light armor optional
Bunker / Mercenary Armor, weapon, ammo, med supplies
Bounty Hunting Ship-ready loadout, basic kit
Exploration Food, drink, meds
Hauling Minimal personal gear

Travel light. New players lose gear because they carry everything just in case.

9. Third-Person View

Third-person is for awareness, ship inspection, screenshots, and checking your character. Use first-person for combat and looting.

ControlFunction
F4 Toggle third-person
F4 again Cycle camera distance
Hold Z + Mouse Rotate camera
Release Z Return body control
F4 + Numpad * Reset camera

If the camera gets weird, cycle F4 or reset it.

First Five-Minute Checklist

StepDo This
1 Hide chat with F12 if needed
2 Open MobiGlas with F1
3 Check Home tab
4 Review Contracts
5 Check Maps
6 Open Storage Access
7 Confirm ship loadout
8 Deliver ship in Fleet Manager
9 Retrieve ship
10 Board and prep for launch

FAQS

Q1: What Should I Do First After Spawning In Star Citizen?

Check MobiGlas, confirm your location, review contracts, check local storage, confirm ship loadout, then deliver and retrieve your ship.

Q2: How Do I Open Mobiglas?

Press F1. F2 often opens map or navigation-related MobiGlas functions.

Q3: How Do I Hide Global Chat?

Press F12. Press Enter to open or close chat input.

Q4: What Are The Best Beginner Contracts?

Courier and delivery contracts. They teach routing, landing, pickups, drop-offs, and basic mission flow without heavy combat.

Q5: What Does Fleet Manager Do?

Fleet Manager delivers, retrieves, claims, and spawns your ships at the current location.

Q6: What Does Vehicle Loadout Manager Do?

It edits ship weapons, components, modules, paints, propulsion, and avionics.

Q7: Why Can't I Access All My Gear Everywhere?

Inventory is local. Items stay at the city or station where they are stored unless you carry or transport them.

Q8: Should I Upgrade My Ship Immediately?

No. Learn the ship first. Later, upgrade quantum drive, shields, and weapons based on your gameplay.

Q9: How Do I Use Third-person View?

Press F4. Hold Z and move the mouse to rotate the camera. Press F4 again to cycle views or return to first-person.

Related: Star Citizen Beginner Guide (Section 3): Gather Gear & Gear Up

End

Learn the hangar and MobiGlas before chasing missions. The essential beginner loop is:

Storage → MobiGlas → Contracts → Loadout → Fleet Manager → Retrieve Ship → Launch

Master that flow and most early Star Citizen confusion disappears. Your ship matters, but knowing how to manage it matters more.

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